Forum on issues related to Trayvon Martin

An image of Trayvon Martin and a bullet shell keychain hanging from a protester's lanyard are seen during a demonstration in reaction to the acquittal of neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman on Monday, July 15, 2013, in Los Angeles. Anger over the acquittal of the U.S. neighborhood watch v

/ AP

An image of Trayvon Martin and a bullet shell keychain hanging from a protester's lanyard are seen during a demonstration in reaction to the acquittal of neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman on Monday, July 15, 2013, in Los Angeles. Anger over the acquittal of the U.S. neighborhood watch volunteer who shot dead an unarmed black teenager continued Monday, with civil rights leaders saying mostly peaceful protests will continue this weekend with vigils in dozens of cities. (AP Photo/Jae C.

An image of Trayvon Martin and a bullet shell keychain hanging from a protester's lanyard are seen during a demonstration in reaction to the acquittal of neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman on Monday, July 15, 2013, in Los Angeles. Anger over the acquittal of the U.S. neighborhood watch volunteer who shot dead an unarmed black teenager continued Monday, with civil rights leaders saying mostly peaceful protests will continue this weekend with vigils in dozens of cities. (AP Photo/Jae C. (/ AP)

Nearly 10 months have passed since Florida teenager Trayvon Martin was killed by community watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who was later acquitted in court.

So why is the San Diego Unified School District planning to hold a public forum on the case Tuesday?

California’s second-largest school district said fostering community dialogue on the Martin-Zimmerman controversy is an effort to help schools and civic groups look at sensitive issues surrounding race and ethnicity in a productive way.

A panel of experts — including a student, a parent and representatives from the NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League and other groups — have been tapped to help navigate the conversation. They will discuss the facts and media coverage of the case, as well as the topic of racial profiling as it concerns youths.

“This is not so much about George Zimmerman or Trayvon Martin as it is about giving students the tools they need to address the issues we face right here in our own community,” said Agin Shaheed, chief of the district’s race, human relations and advocacy office. He is set to moderate the event.

School board trustees Richard Barrera and Marne Foster called for the special meeting in July, shortly after Zimmerman was acquitted in the February shooting death of Martin, a teenager he mistook for a criminal in a residential community. The case has stirred a national debate on racism, guns and vigilantism.

Student body presidents from San Diego Unified’s 18 high schools are among those invited to participate in Tuesday’s event. District officials said the goal is to educate them on how to approach such delicate topics, and to prepare them to hold their own forums on the Martin-Zimmerman case and other situations.

“A lot of students have communicated that they were affected by the case,” Foster said. “This is really just an opportunity for our students to explore the world around them and to use critical-thinking skills.”

San Diego Unified’s forum comes as the public uproar over the Zimmerman verdict has subsided.

“Some might say this would have been more relevant as a teachable moment in September or October. But there are lessons to be learned right now,” said Phillip Liburd, second vice president with the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Schools throughout San Diego County have demonstrated a need for cultural and racial sensitivity in recent months, said Liburd, who will serve as a panelist at the discussion, which is set for 6 to 8 p.m. at the district’s headquarters.

In October, for example, coaches at Serra High School posted pictures of themselves dressed in blackface at a Halloween party. In Alpine, a girl at a middle school has complained to the NAACP about being called the n-word by students at her mostly white campus. And reports of discrimination in South Bay schools are under review by the NAACP, Liburd said.

“It’s about the dialogue. It’s about empowering students, empowering schools and making schools safe places,” Gillies said. “For the ADL, it’s about dealing with conflict at the lowest possible level of resolution. The first response should not be going to the ADL or going to (U-T San Diego).”

San Diego Unified officials said the forum has been planned using the guiding principles of the state’s new Common Core academic standards, which emphasize critical-thinking skills. In addition, the district’s social studies educators have written questions shaped by the Common Core mold that will be used when individual schools decide to hold their own forums on such issues.